Deirdre Ní Mhórdha
Regional Development Officer, Migraine Ireland
Naomi Thornton
Infoline and Migraine Support Officer, Migraine Ireland
Migraine affects 750,000+ in Ireland. It’s often manageable but can become chronic, worsened by inequality, stigma and systemic vulnerability.
Ireland’s healthcare system faces significant challenges. The country has one of the lowest numbers of neurologists per capita in Europe, with less than half the recommended number of specialists.
Despite recognition of the importance of the primary care setting for treating headaches, there is a knowledge gap among healthcare providers. Worldwide, only four hours are committed to headache disorders in formal undergraduate medical training. This leads to a lack of understanding of the condition and frequent dismissal of patients’ concerns and symptoms, leaving the patient to self-manage.
Income inequality and migraine
Ireland faces deepening inequality, which significantly increases vulnerability to migraine and other chronic conditions. Individuals with severe health conditions are nearly twice as likely to live in poverty.1 The unemployment rate in people living with migraine is two to four times the national average, placing individuals living with migraine at a socioeconomic disadvantage.2
People living with migraine
spend, on average, 31 hours
a month alone in the dark.
Proof of workplace stigma
In 2024, Migraine Ireland conducted a survey on people’s experience of migraine in their workplace. They faced bullying, written warnings, having to use sick leave or annual leave and being scrutinised by or sent to HR/occupational health.
People living with migraine spend, on average, 31 hours a month alone in the dark, so withdrawal from life and poor mental health become major factors.3
Tackling migraine health inequality
Disability equality must be a top policy priority. Tackling migraine and socioeconomic inequality requires a multifaceted approach:
- Expand the number of hours of formal education of primary headache disorders in the healthcare community.
- Expand the number of neurologists and headache specialists, particularly in underserved areas. Fund primary care to assess, diagnose and treat migraine early.
- Continue to integrate mental health and trauma care into chronic pain pathways
- Address social determinants of health by working to tackle the broader social factors that contribute to health disparities, including poverty and discrimination.
- Enhance public awareness of migraine and its impact, reducing stigma and encouraging individuals to seek help.
